A fire and the ice family
by theuone
Summary: Ganter's life is changed one day as he wakes up in yet another reality. The problem with this reality is something that could kill Ganter without anything dangerous; it involves the identity of his family. Will Ganter find a way to return his life to normal, and just how did this happen anyway?
1. Chapter 1

(Well folks, im going to enjoy this story. For those who are waiting for the sequels to A darkness and the ice family, don't worry, those will come in due to time.)

A fire and the ice family – part 1 – A world undone

It was nighttime at the cabin home of Ganter, Nuevo, and Careena, and the trio was sleeping peacefully. However, a dragon was walking around outside; he had purple scales, red eyes, and yellow horns, and he also had yellow spikes running down his back and ending at his tail, which was ended in an arrowhead. His underbelly and wing membranes were also red.

"Well, Magiah, looks like you've got the perfect targets." He said to himself.

Magiah placed his front paws on a window and looked inside at the siblings. Ganter had ice-blue scales with a ice-white underbelly. His horns were similar to Spyro's with the exception being it was a silver color, and the same thing for his crest, and his eyes were blue. Ganter's wings were also ice-blue, and for his tail tip, it resembled three fan-like horizontal blades with a blue 'orb' in the center. Nuevo and Careena had similar features, except for the fact that Nuevo's tail tip was shaped like Spyro's and Careena's was that of an icicle.

Magiah chuckled, "Oh how do I love messing with folks like you." Ganter stirred in his sleep.

A cold spring wind blew through the meadow, and some trees rustled. Magiah's paws began to glow with a purple color; a color that soon filled the space around the cabin, and flashed. Magiah continued to grin the entire time, "As a particular dragoness once said, 'thrilling', this is going to be very thrilling. Whatever will you do 'soul of hope', when your entire life changes before your very eyes?"

Ganter woke up to the blowing of the wind, and the grass under his paws. It took him a couple of seconds, but he realized that there was grass under his paws. Why am I outside? "Careena? Nuevo? If this is some kind of prank, it's not funny."

Ganter looked around at his surroundings; they worried him. The cabin was nowhere in sight, and he didn't recognize the cliff off to his not-so-far right. "Hello? Brother, sister, are you there?" He called out, and waited for a reply. There was none.

This was starting to remind Ganter of the day he met the dark dragoness Chimera, since things had begun the same way; waking up somewhere unfamiliar. The afternoon sun shown down on him, warming up his frosty scales, and he decided to fly around and get his bearings. Once he got into the air, his fears worsened; there was not a single landmark that was familiar, though off in the distant horizon, he thought he could see Warfang. While Ganter wondered if his siblings were there, he decided to check out the rest of the landscape for something, such as a clue.

His eyes focused in on the cliff, and as he drew closer, he saw that it had a cave, and the young ice dragon landed back on the ground. Carefully, Ganter walked over to the cave; a single torch hung on the ceiling, providing some light. Ganter wondered if anyone lived in there, and decided that if someone did, that they could help him out.

Ganter carefully walked inside, and what he saw filled him with immense happiness; Nuevo and Careena were sitting next to two adult ice dragons. They had looked the same as the day Ganter last saw them; his parents, Sorow and Sarah. While his parents had aged, they looked as youthful as ever, for adults, that it. The only strange thing was that Careena was now his age, but he didn't care, his entire family was right before his eyes.

"Hello everyone!" Ganter called out with glee, running to the others.

He was stopped short by Sorow's tail, and what Ganter heard would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Who are you?" His father asked, wary.

Ganter stood still, shocked, and looked around. His mother, sister and brother shared similar expressions of distrust, worry, and even fear. "Don't you remember me? I'm your son, Ganter." His voice started to shack, not wanting the answer he thought he would get.

And he got it, "We don't remember you, young one." Sarah replied.

"Yes, we the only son we've had is Nuevo here." Sorow continued.

Ganter stepped back in utter horror, "No, it can't be true. It can't."

Sarah and Sorow exchanged glances, and before they could do anything, Nuevo walked over to Ganter, "I may not know you, but you seem like a good dragon, we could be friends."

Ganter looked at his brother, or rather, the dragon who he hoped to still be his brother, "I … I … I don't want to just be friends, I'm supposed to be your brother." His legs started to shake now.

"Listen young one, I may not know who you are, but you are clearly disturbed. What's wrong? Maybe your family could help." Sorow said to Ganter.

Ganter basically let it all out from there, "But you are my family! All of you are supposed to be my family; mother, father, brother, sister, don't you all remember me!?" Ganter broke down in tears; it was his worst fear come true.

Ganter's sobs were uncontrollable, and the four didn't know what to make of this. Careena said, "Why don't you stay here for a little bit, maybe we could help you out somehow?"

"I'm not sure that's wise, what do we know about him?" Sarah replied to her daughter.

"He is clearly traumatized; the only thing that gets my attention is how similar he looks to us." Sorow said.

"I know, it is weird." Sarah said back, "What should we do with him?"

Sorow looked at Ganter and nudged the young ice dragon with a talon, "Alright then, you can stay here for the day and night, but tomorrow, we're going to help you find your real family."

Ganter looked up, and sniffed; he didn't know what to think anymore, "I … I'd like that." He hoped to figure out what was going on, and why his own family had basically disowned him.

Ganter had remained drowning in his sadness and confusion for the rest of the day, and into the night. When he was offered something to eat, he declined, not wanting to do anything until he knew why this had happened. When Nuevo and Careena tried to start a conversation with him, he kept quiet, and it was painful to him. Even after everyone else fell asleep, Ganter stayed awake, comforted only by his thoughts and memories.

It was well into midnight when Ganter felt a tug at his mind. It intrigued him; it seemed like it was beckoning to him, calling him. And he got up onto his paws for the first time in hours, the tugging in his mind had captivated him, and he walked outside. He looked around; the feeling in his mind had directed him to the city of Warfang.

Ganter looked back inside, "Sorry everyone, but I need answers." He said regretfully.

Flapping his wings, he flew off to Warfang, hoping to find someone who could help him. It had taken him an hour, but he finally stood inside Warfang. The streets were empty, but the tugging in Ganter's mind became an unstoppable sensation; it was like there was a being behind it, and Ganter found himself walking onwards. The strange sensation grew stronger with each step he took, and Ganter hoped that the person behind it could help him discover the reason for this change in his life.

As Ganter turned a corner, a dragon crashed into him with a flash of red. Right now, the tugging within his mind was at its peak, and he looked at the dragon who had tackled him.

The dragon backed off for a couple inches, giving Ganter enough space to see the features of this dragon. He was obviously a fire dragon; his scales were orange, and his belly, crest, and horns were yellow. His eyes were a burning blue, and the strange thing about this dragon was his tail tip. Ganter swung his own tail forward and looked at it, and the fire dragon's; they were exact copies.

"Who are …?" Before Ganter could finish his question, the fire dragon spoke up.

"What happened to you? Me and Burn were looking all over for you. What made you run off like that earlier? Man is mother and father worried."

Ganter blinked rapidly, not knowing what to think, and for good reason, for the fire dragon then said, "What's wrong Ganter? You look like you don't remember me, and why is your mind so blank? It's usually buzzing with thoughts."

"Who are you?" Ganter finally managed to get out.

The fire dragon blinked, worried, "Tell me this is a joke? Tell me that you remember your twin brother Blister."

Ganter blinked back, the most shocking part was 'twin brother', "Sorry, uhh, Blister, but I don't remember you. And the only brother I have isn't you."

Ganter could sense Blister's heart sink, "Don't tell me, you've got amnesia, don't you? Right? Right?"

Ganter suddenly felt guilty; this was the same way he felt with his parents and siblings; completely disbelieving, "Sorry, but nothing about you rings a bell. Who is Burn?"

"Our older brother," Blister looked around, "come on, Burn is around here somewhere. We need to get him so we can get back home and tell the others about this."

Ganter silently followed behind his 'brother', completely dumbfounded by the events within this single day. The two of them soon went to a place and Blister saw a note, "It's from Burn, it says, "Went back home, too tired to continue. Get back soon, alright?" Come on, everyone is waiting." Blister flapped his wings and headed off, of which Ganter still followed. Wondering that if this Blister knew him, maybe he could help him learn why all this was happening.

They soon a came to a cave on the opposite side of where Ganter's true family was in relation to Warfang, and the two of them entered. What Ganter saw reminded him of his parents and siblings; two adult fire dragons were pacing around with worry, a fire dragon several years older than Blister watched the cave entrance intently, and Ganter guessed him to be Burn. After that, Ganter was pounced on by two young fire dragonesses; one of which was Nuevo's age, and the other was about half that.

"We were so worried about you." The adult fire dragoness said, as soon as she saw them come in, and everyone else soon proceeded to hug Ganter.

"Don't ever run away like that again, we thought you were dead for a while." The father said sternly.

Ganter blinked slowly, taking everything in; these dragons thought that he was a part of their family. What had happened to him?

"Um, sorry." Ganter tried to peel the young fire dragonesses off of him, but they wouldn't let go.

"Magma, Lava, let go of your brother, he needs room." Their father said.

The youngest, Lava, pouted, but the sisters reluctantly let go.

Blister then spoke up, "I think Ganter has amnesia, he doesn't remember us."

Their mother gasped, "Really? You don't remember us Ganter?"

The ice dragon shook his head, "No, I don't."

The collected look of all the fire dragons summed up in one word; shock. In the meantime, Ganter wondered about the mental link he now had with Blister; was this what it was like to have a twin? He let his mind wander and found himself hearing Blister's thoughts;

_Does Ganter serious not remember us? What could have happened for him to forget about all we've been through? We have done almost everything together ever since we hatched. Or is this all a giant prank? I guess we were a bit harsh earlier. Oh, please don't let this be true._

Ganter's wings drooped hearing this; he didn't know what was going on, or how he seemed to have a new family, but Blister was obviously heartbroken, and so were the others. "Look everyone, I don't know what's going on, but it's true, I do not remember any of you." Ganter announced. Their reactions were a mix of relief and shock; relief that the situation was simple, and shock that Ganter didn't remember them.

However, it was then that the memory came; Ganter clutched his head as he saw himself and Blister looking up at Burn and their parents, but the vision was faint. In this memory, they were all younger, and Ganter could see that he and Blister had just hatched.

Ganter panted as his vision returned to normal; this alien memory had scared him, and he caught a thought from Blister: _Was that a memory I saw? I knew Ganter was still there._

This entire situation was exhausting Ganter, "I'm going to bed, I … I need to think about stuff." All the while Ganter had one question; what in the universe was going on?

(So, what do you think? If you haven't seen Magiah in action in Wings of Fire The Personality Shift, this is just a small amount of the things Magiah, the purple menace, can do. Yeah, if there is one thing that Ganter is fragile about, it's family.)


	2. Chapter 2

(Addressing the comment of Dragon-Uprising, yes, while Ganter originally hatched to Sarah and Sorow, Magiah has changed all that, and the memories are a side-effect of it all.)

Part 2 – A time of truth

Ganter woke slowly the next day as he remembered what happened within the last twenty-four hours. He remembered the shock at losing his family, finding Blister and learning that they were supposed to be his family. Opening his eyes, he looked around; Blister was the only one awake, and was standing by the cave entrance.

"I hoped you would still wake up about this time. We used to go out and have fun while everyone sleeps in all the time." Blister said.

Ganter blinked; his mind was swimming as he tried to keep Blister from taking a peak at his thoughts, not wanting the wrong thing to get out. He decided instantly that Blister needed to know the truth, lest he should see it within Ganter's mind and blurt it out to the others.

Blister tilted his head curiously, noticing that Ganter was building a barrier in his mind, "Just what happened to you? Ever since you returned last night, you've changed, and it's scaring me. You've kept me out of your head, and that's never happened before, especially since we made that promise. We promised never to hide anything from each other; mother and father did say our mental link was a blessing, and I believe it's true." The look in Blister's eyes was a pleading one, desperate to know the truth.

"Blister, I think we should talk in private?" Ganter said softly, as to not wake the others up. He could feel that Blister and him were supposed to be very close in this reality, and he didn't want to keep him in the dark much longer.

Blister nodded, "Come on, I know where to go."

Ganter caught a thought from Blister, _I hope Ganter has something important to tell me, because I can tell, there is something going on._

Blister led Ganter to a nearby cave, which opened up into an underground meadow, and he explained to Ganter, "We used to go here all the time, it's our little secret." Ganter looked up, there was a hole in the sky from which sunlight fell through, and Ganter wondered how this was created.

Blister looked at him, noticing that thought, "I think this used to be a volcano but went dead long ago. I think earth dragons were involved."

Ganter nodded, wanting to get this over with, "So, there is no one else here, right?"

"I would hope not, it's just the two of us that come here. You ready to tell me what you've got buried in your brain?" Blister replied.

Ganter took a deep breath before beginning, "What I have to tell you might be rather shocking, and you may not even believe me."

Blister started to laugh, "What could be more shocking than learning my twin has amnesia?"

Ganter didn't laugh, "How about the fact that I don't have amnesia, I just don't remember you guys."

Blister stopped laughing, instantly serious, "Come again?"

Ganter sighed, "I'm not the dragon you think I am. I needed privacy because I felt you would learn this sooner or later, but this life is not my life. I shouldn't be your sibling."

Blister looked at him in confusion, "Are you pulling my tail? How are you supposed to not be my brother?"

"I think the better question is why am I your brother? You see, something big happened last afternoon. Oh, please don't interrupt because this is going to be a long story." Ganter replied.

Blister nodded, "Anything to learn what is going on with you."

Ganter almost smiled; Blister seemed like a good dragon, and an even more so sibling, "Okay, before I woke up last afternoon, I was somewhere else. I lived in a cabin in a meadow, with my original family; my younger brother Nuevo and older sister Careena," Ganter noticed that Blister wanted to interrupt and ask a question, but kept quiet, "Nuevo is about Magma's age, and Careena was about the same age as Burn. Well, anyway, the three of us lived in that meadow for most of our life, but as of last afternoon, something has changed. When I woke up, I was no longer at the cabin, and when I found them living under a nearby cliff with our would-be-dead parents … well, they didn't recognize me. They said I wasn't a part of their family, and I sulked for most of the day. Before you found me last night, I felt a tugging sensation in my mind, of which I guess was you calling out to me. And so I followed the sensation until I came to you."

Blister blinked, not having a single clue as to making out what all of this meant, "So, uhh, let me get this straight. You're saying that you use to live with another family but when you woke up, they weren't your family, and that now you think something has happened?"

"I understand, you are in complete disbelief, just like I was, and still am, but yes, this shouldn't be my life. I should be back home with Nuevo and Careena enjoying our life."

"Wow, this is crazy, my twin brother is telling me that he has another family. Is there anything else I should know?" Blister said; a spurt of fire left his snout as he paced around, slightly angry.

Ganter felt guilty again, "Why don't I just let you see for yourself." He then removed the barrier around his mind.

He sensed Blister's presense within his mind, and after a few minutes, Blister gasped, "By the ancestors, you're telling the truth! Wow, this is so unreal. No wonder you wanted to hide this from me, this is completely unbelievable. Dude, you have two lives to live now."

Ganter blinked; Blister was quite about that, it was unreal. He wasn't sure if he could live two lives though, "So, now what?"

Blister stopped pacing around, "This is just like a mystery; why did you end up with a new life? What we've got to do is figure that out."

"So you aren't at all worried by the fact that you might just be a creation of whoever created this reality?" Ganter knew that this was something that didn't just happen, someone must have done something. He was also glad that Blister was so understanding about this; he doubted anyone else would take such a discovery so calmly.

"Nope, I'm still real after all. And like I said, we do everything together." Blister said nonchalantly.

Ganter blinked at his new brother; he was starting to grow used to this happy-go-lucky fire dragon that was now his sibling. And then, he vision was replaced by another memory of this life: he and Blister were just a few years old, and they were playing in a meadow. All of a sudden, past-Ganter tripped on a rock, and fell, and so Blister came to his aid.

Ganter blinked again as the memory left; he wasn't sure if he wanted those memories, they were practically trying to convince Ganter that this was the life he hatched in, but he guessed that it could be useful to know what he 'experienced' in this life. Ganter had a question about this reality, "So why am I an ice dragon if all of you are fire dragons?"

Blister shrugged his wings, "I don't really know, mother, father and Burn thought you were an oddity at first. Maybe it has to do with all this reality-changing stuff. Or maybe it's just destiny."

Ganter nodded, knowing about that now, "So what was _I _like? Or rather the me that you grew up with?"

"Well, I'm not sure how to compare the two of you. Probably just less secretive." Blister replied.

"So, I guess that with us being twins and all, our minds are constantly connected?"

"Yup, we can even speak to each other through telepathy." Blister said back.

"Hmm, did we enjoy a good prank from time to time?" Ganter said next.

"From time to time? Bro, we did it almost every day! It's too bad you don't remember the things we've done. Having three other siblings definitely gave us lots of targets." Blister said laughing.

This time, Ganter joined in the laughter; he guessed that until he could find his way back home, he might as well know what this life was like. "So, is there anything else I should probably know?"

Blister stopped laughing and thought about that, "Hmm, not that I can think of, we are pretty much an ordinary family."

Just then, Ganter felt a tightness in his chest, and he tried to breath, but to his utter shock, he could hardly get any air. He continued to try and get some air into his lungs, but his body seemed to refuse to comply.

_Blister, what's going on? I can't breathe! _Ganter used his new-found telepathy.

"Oh no, your asthma!" Blister exclaimed.

_Asthma? But I don't have …_, Ganter stopped short, realizing this was another thing this reality gave him, _what do I do?_

Blister started to panic and paced around again, "I uhhm, err okay. I didn't expect this to happen, not today anyway."

_Blister!_ Ganter yelled mentally as he tried to suck in air, _help me out here!_

"Okay, try to breathe." Blister suggested.

_But I can't! _Ganter started to get dizzy, and his vision started to blur, but this wasn't a vision; Ganter was starting to faint.

Blister took a deep breath and said, "Yes, you can, your lungs just aren't taking in air. Don't try to take deep breathes, breathe shallow breathes, that way your lungs will take in the air one small amount at a time. Slowly, your lungs will fill back up, you just have to keep calm and breathe softly."

Ganter did as his new brother ordered; instead of trying to take deep breaths, he focused more on keeping calm and drawing air to his lungs. And slowly, but surely, the tightness in his chest started to lift as his lungs gradually filled with air.

It was several minutes later when Ganter could breathe normally again, "Blister, what just happened to me? I shouldn't have asthma." Ganter had never felt so helpless, not as far as he could remember.

"Well, you see, when we were little, something happened, causing damage to one of your lungs, and from then on, you've had trouble breathing." Blister explained.

Ganter felt his heart stop; would this scar carry back on into his first life? "How often does this happen?"

"About twice or even three times a week." Blister replied.

Ganter gulped, he did not want to experience that anymore. "So what should we do now? Since we know more about each other and all, what's next?"

"Well, let's get going back home, the others might be waking up soon. I can't wait to tell them about this. My twin has connections to another reality!" Blister said in a sing-song voice, starting to walk back through the tunnel.

Ganter smiled for a moment at Blister's sudden happiness, until he registered what was said, "Wait!"

Blister turned around, "Yeah? What's wrong?"

"You can't tell them about this, I only told you because you would learn about who I am sooner or later. If they learned, then I don't know what would happen. Can you promise to me that you'll keep this between the two of us?" Ganter told his new twin.

Blister frowned for a second, but then nodded with a smile, "Alright, this is between the two of us, and no one else, I promise."

"Thanks, I don't want them to know that I don't belong here." Ganter said back. He hoped to find a way back to his real family, and real life.

"I understand, you don't want our parents and siblings to think that there is something strange about you. Don't worry bro, we'll figure out what's going on, but until then, come on, let's get back home." Blister replied, continuing to walk on, of which Ganter followed.

Meanwhile, back with Sarah and Sorow, they awoke slowly, and looked at Careena and Nuevo, whom were both still asleep. It was Sorow who first noticed what was different; Ganter was not there.

"Honey, that one ice dragon is missing, Ganter, wasn't it?" Sorow said, looking at his mate.

"Perhaps he found his family?" Sarah suggested.

"I doubt that; with how he was acting, I wouldn't be surprised if he was depressed." Sorow replied.

"You don't think that he'd … ?" Sarah didn't get to finish her question.

"Sadly, yes. We better wake Nuevo and Careena and go find him. After all, we did promise to help him find his family." Sorow said with a sigh.

"Alright, I can only hope it's not too late for him." Sarah replied.

(Yay for side-plots, I think you get what's going down with Ganter's original parents. Oh, the part with Ganter having asthma (takes deep breath), well it was inspired by a time about two years ago. For some strange reason, I had developed asthma, but it didn't believe (and still quite don't) that it was that. All I know was that at various times and places, I found it very hard to get air in. It went away like months after it began, and I suspect it was an allergic reaction to something new. So yeah, that while inspired that part.)


	3. Chapter 3

(Okay, this was a lengthy wait, but its going to be worth it, I hope. To address the question of Dragon-Uprising, they are simply going to ask if a dragon that fits Ganter's descriptions was around.)

Part 3 – The beginning of a new beginning

Blister and Ganter arrived just in time to see their parents awaken, "Nice to see that you are awake." Their mother said.

"Yes, how do you two feel?" Their father asked.

Ganter exchanged glances with Blister, and said, "Blister filled me in about everything, so I guess I'm fine."

"That's good to hear, why don't we wake up your siblings now." Their father then said. Ganter looked over his 'siblings'; they shared similar characteristics to Blister; except their tail tips were the same as Nuevo's was.

After Burn, Magma, and Lava were awake, they greeted Ganter again, "It's good to see you're back." Burn said.

"I was so worried when you left; I thought you weren't coming back." Magma said next.

"What's it like having amnesia?" Lava asked.

Ganter looked at Lava; he wasn't sure how to reply, and so Blister said, "Well, he thinks it's weird to not have his own memories."

_Thanks for bailing me out._ Ganter thought to Blister via their telepathy.

_If I'm keeping your secret, then I'm keeping your secret._ Blister replied.

"Well, today is likely to be a long day. Why don't the five of you go outside and play a bit, we'll get ready to go hunt soon." Their mother said.

"Yeah, we lost a whole day of fun thanks to you running away Ganter." Magma commented.

"Um, sorry, I guess." Ganter said, actually feeling guilty.

"Come on, let's go." Lava started running outside, not waiting for her siblings.

Burn looked at Magma, Blister, and Ganter, "Well, what are we standing around for?" The four then went outside to the meadow.

Ganter sighed; he was already getting used to them, but he hoped he wouldn't grow too accustomed to them, since he still had to find a way to undo whatever had happened to him. As they walked outside, Lava walked up to him, "Can I get another ride on your back?" The young fire dragoness was small enough to climb on without being too heavy.

Another memory flashed through Ganter's mind; in it he was asked the same question, and with a smile, agreed to carry his youngest sister around. Ganter blinked as the memory left, and said, "Sure Lava, climb on."

Ganter felt Lava's little claws as she scampered up onto his back, resting in between his wings. He was starting to hate these memories; they were so comforting, trying to convince him this was where he belonged.

Ganter ran over to the others with Lava clinging to his back, "So, what are we going to do?" Ganter asked of his new siblings.

"Maybe start off with some tag." Burn said.

"Cool, Lava, mind getting down now?" Ganter replied, twisting his neck to look at the fire dragoness.

"Ahhh, alright." Lava said, jumping off him.

"Well, don't let me catch you if you can." Blister smiled.

Ganter knew what that meant and ran off, knowing Blister was _it_. He took a small peak to see if Blister was on his tail, and just like that, Blister charged off after him. When Blister got too close, he tried to do a backflip, though he landed not-so-smoothly, and Blister tapped him on the head with a claw, "You're it."

Ganter let out a smile and got back up, chasing after Blister, but he noticed Magma hiding in a bush, and he pounced on her, "It."

This continued for about a half-hour until everyone got tired of it. "So what's next?" Ganter asked. He then saw their parents flying outside, heading off hunting. _Is this normal?_ Ganter thought to his twin.

_Yeah, they should be back soonish. _Blister replied.

"Well, Blister, it's your favorite time." Burn said.

Ganter looked at Blister, _What does he mean?_

Blister chuckled, "You'll see right now. So, who's ready for some truth and dare?"

"Don't you mean truth _or_ dare?" Ganter asked, shifting his weight from paw to paw.

"Nope, it's both here. Need to know what makes this different?" Blister said.

"Sure."

"Okay then, it's simple. One of us goes first and asks someone the usual truth or dare. Then that person does the same, but someone can't be picked twice in the same round. If the person who goes first gets picked and they aren't the last one, then someone has to volunteer to ask anyone remaining. The 'and' part comes in now; whoever is last … has to do both a truth and a dare." Blister explained.

Ganter gulped, "Maybe I'll go first, Lava, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay Lava, …" Ganter had to think for a second of what to ask, "do you think that you are lucky being the youngest of us?"

"Not really, I kinda wish I was older." Lava replied with a swish of her tail. "Okay, I'm next; Burn, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Came their oldest brother's reply.

Lava smiled, "I dare you to act like a girl until mom and dad get back."

Burn gulped, and then in as feminine a voice as possible, "Alright, you got it."

Ganter chuckled at how ridiculous Burn sounded, as did Blister. Burn sighed and said to Magma, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to have ice-cold water dumped on you." Burn said.

"And where are we going to find the water?" Magma remarked.

"At the nearby lake; Ganter can create a bucket made of ice." Blister said.

"And I have to allow this." Magma sighed.

"If you may, bro?" Burn said to Ganter.

Ganter proceeded to use his ice to create a bucket, from which Burn picked it up, "I'll be right back."

Burn flew off to the lake, and came back several minutes later, "It's frosty. Ready Magma?"

"Let's get this over with, I want to give Blister a truth or dare, sis." Magma grinned, using the title that Burn had to abide by, thanks to Lava's dare.

_Burn would have been better off with the gender spell being used._ Blister remarked.

_Very._ Ganter thought back.

Burn dumped the water on Magma, whom squealed, and began breathing out fire to warm herself back up, "That was cold, brrr. Blister … truth or dare?"

"Going with truth." Blister said with a nod.

Ganter gulped, knowing that he'd be last now, and had to do both.

"Okay Blister, if Ganter or Burn found a certain dragoness, would you support them being together?" Magma asked.

Blister blinked, "From where did you hear this kind of topic?"

"Mom and dad; I overheard them talking about it once." Magma replied nonchalantly.

"I'm so telling. Anyway, of course I would." Blister answered.

"Well, I guess I'm last, lucky me." Ganter remarked sarcastically.

"Yup, Ganter, so, first is a truth. Do you think that there is a dragoness out there just waiting to meet you?" Blister asked.

Ganter grew embarrassed, _Blister, if you looked through my memories, you'd know the answer._

_True, but the other's don't._ Blister replied.

Ganter sighed, "Yes, I think there is."

"Okay then, I dare you to walk over to the beehive on that tree over there and breathe cold air at them." Blister said.

Ganter gulped, "And I won't get stung?"

"Not if you freeze them enough, you won't." Blister replied.

Ganter sighed, and walking over to the beehive and soon coated it in frost, 'They should be fine later." Ganter said hopefully.

Just then, he noticed a tunnel of sorts in the ground; it was just big enough for Ganter to crawl through. He felt something calling for him from the other side of it, and when his new siblings weren't looking, he crawled into the tunnel, hurrying so that they wouldn't notice where he went. While he wasn't entirely sure why he was doing it, he could feel that there was something on the other side of the tunnel. Ganter soon tumbled out of the tunnel, and landed on his paws as he saw that he had entered an underground cave.

Just then, a cheetah with light blue fur walked out from the inner darkness of the cave. He walked with a wooden staff and had an edge of both wisdom and insanity to him.

"Who are you?" Ganter asked warily.

"I don't quite have a name, but many call me The Hermit." The old cheetah chuckled.

"The Hermit," Ganter repeated, "I think I might have heard about you once, but I'm not sure."

"I'm sure you have, young ice dragon, I'm sure you have." The Hermit replied.

"So what do you want?" Ganter asked, wondering if there was a reason he had found himself here.

"I want to give you some information; I know of your plight." The Hermit said slowly but bluntly.

"You what?" Ganter asked, surprised.

"You want to get back to your true home, back to your original siblings, do you not?" The Hermit shifted his balance with his staff.

"Yes, but how did you know?" Ganter's tail twitched nervously, bumping against a rock.

"How I know is none of your concern, but if you want to return, you must first seek out the dragon of time." With that, the Hermit walked into another cave, and Ganter took the clue that that was all he was going to get.

Ganter slowly went back up the tunnel; he was confused, curious, worried, and several other emotions all at once. He also wondered who the 'dragon of time' was. As he crawled up and out of the tunnel, he noticed his new siblings looking for him, whom found him instantly, thanks to Blister.

"Uhm, hello." Ganter tried to smile under their looks of worry and disapproval.

"And just where were you?" Burn asked protectively, which was understandable, given that they had 'lost' him just a day ago.

Ganter crawled back up onto solid ground, "Well, I guess I fell down a rabbit hole and ended up in this big cave."

Blister sighed, "You were always too clumsy and curious for your own good." He then thought to Ganter, _want to talk about it?_

_Yeah, and this time, we should include Burn._ Ganter replied telepathically.

_Why?_ Blister thought back. Burn looked at their sisters; the mental conversation was evident.

_I think I have a clue about how to get back to my original family._ Ganter replied.

_Hmm, alright,_ Blister replied, "Burn, if we could have a moment, just the three of us?"

Burn looked at Magma and Lava, "Stay right here, okay? Your brothers are going to have a chat."

Magma sighed, "Fine, but don't take too long."

Blister and Ganter led Burn to a spot where the three of them could talk, "So, what is it you want to talk to me about?"

Ganter exchanged glances with Blister, "The truth."

"What truth?" Burn asked, getting confused.

Blister looked at Ganter, whom said, "I'm not exactly the brother you lived with."

Burn blinked, "Did I hear that right?"

"Let's just say that I'm from another reality, and I don't know what happened to the Ganter you grew up with." Ganter replied.

Burn remained confused and said, "I still don't get it."

"What Ganter is saying is that he's from an alternate reality; we don't know about our Ganter though." Blister replied.

Burn just stood there, silently absorbing what he heard. He soon said skeptically, "So I guess you don't actually have amnesia."

"Believe it or not, but yeah." Ganter replied.

Burn was still skeptical of what his brothers were saying, "So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"I think I have a clue about going back to _my_ home, but I don't think I can go do this alone." Ganter answered.

"And I guess you want me to join you?" Burn asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, just the three of us." Ganter replied.

Burn suddenly became serious, "I don't know if you are serious or not; this could be just some kind of prank for what happened yesterday. And if you are telling the truth, then what about Magma and Lava; do you expect them to just stay home while you go ancestors knows where for ancestors knows why?"

Ganter and Blister were taken aback by what Burn said, "So you don't believe us?" Ganter asked.

"How could I? My brother is telling me he's from another reality, how could I believe that?" Burn said with a spurt of fire.

"I guess we can't expect you to believe us, but can you at least trust that we know what we're doing?" Ganter replied.

Burn calmed down, "I guess. So why don't you want to our sisters to join us to wherever it is you are going?"

"Because of how young they are, plus mom and dad need some of us to stick around." Blister explained.

Burn sighed, "I may not know what you two are up to, but you do have a point. If this 'journey' you plan to go on is dangerous, it might be better that they stay home. Let's get this over with." Burn walked off towards where Lava and Magma were at. Ganter exchanged glances with Blister and followed Burn.

When Magma say them walk back over, she asked, "So what did you three talk about."

It was Burn who replied, "We need the two of you to go back to the cave and wait for our parents to return. The three of us are going on a journey of sorts and it may not be good for you to come with us. So when they get back, I want you to tell them that we've gone somewhere and that we don't know when we'll be back."

"But …" Lava started to protest.

"Sorry, this is a job for the three of us, please just go back home and stay there with mom and dad, please?" Blister said to them.

"Alright, but you so owe us when you get back." Magma sighed in defeat.

"Don't worry, we'll do just that." Ganter said, and then in his thoughts, mostly to himself, _I hope._

"Well, we'll see you when we get back." Blister said, starting to walk off.

"Alright." Magma said with a pout, and walked back to the cave with Lava. Once the sisters were out of earshot, Magma whispered something to Lava, and looked back at their departing brothers.

(Okay, what do you think of The Hermit's guest appearance? Or any guesses on who the 'dragon of time' is? Well, you know the drill. Hmm, am I forgetting something? (shrugs). Oh yeah, I still have not given up on my other stories, I will get back to them eventually.)


	4. Chapter 4

(Guess what folks ... I'm not dead! Sorry, but one way or another, I haven't been able to work on my stories as often as I would have liked to. I also apologize for the quality (length compared to the others), and the fact that the 'groups' will be switching back and forth for a bit, so just keep an eye out for those key words. Yeah, this is really just a filler, but with how things have been, I guess it's to be expected. And yet another thing of my rambling; during the spring, I was working on something, and it's been complete, but I wanted to wait till the was up. Anyway ...)

...

Part 4 – The journey begins and a twist

Ganter and his two new brothers were walking in a meadow some distance from their home. A constant wind was blowing through, so they kept their wings close to their body. It wasn't helped by the increasing number of clouds blocking the sunlight.

"It's getting windy out, we may have a storm brewing." Burn remarked.

"We may need to go find a cave." Ganter swished his tail around, worried.

Blister looked around at the relatively plain meadow, "If there are any around here."

Burn sighed, "Then let's get moving."

And so the trio continued onwards, hoping to find shelter before the storm picked up. However, sometime later, the three were still out in the open and still without a cave in sight. The wind was howling now and the sky was an ominous gray, and Ganter sighed, "This is going to end badly, isn't it?"

"Only if we can't find shelter." Burn said nervously.

"Well, let's hurry up; I don't like staying out here much longer." Ganter said, equally nervous.

_Relax Ganter, we've got this covered, I think._ Blister tried to comfort his twin.

Ganter smiled mentally, _Why have I only met you yesterday? You'd get along greatly with Nuevo and Careena and I._

_Probably would, but hey, different realities must be a tricky thing to deal with. _Blister replied.

_Yeah, I don't know why I'm here or why I have a different family. _Ganter sighed.

_Don't worry bro, we'll figure everything out._ Blister thought back.

Burn turned to his brothers, "You two done with your private conversation?" He knew because of the silence they were giving.

Ganter chuckled, "Sorry, why?"

"Yeah, same here, you see something?" Blister asked, curious.

Burn pointed ahead; off in the distance was a cave near some bushes.

"Great, let's hurry up." Ganter ran over to the cave, and his brothers followed behind.

Once the trio entered the cave, Blister and Burn lit the cave up briefly, checking to making sure there was nothing or no one inside. After that was done, that sat down, trying to relax on the ground.

It was then that Ganter realized something; they had yet to eat, and his stomach began to grumble, "Oh shoot, uhh, how are we going to deal with this?"

"Uhh, we might not be able to; we may have to wait out the storm." Burn replied.

"Are you serious? I don't even remember when I last ate." Ganter groaned.

"He's right you know." Blister commented to Burn.

Burn looked worried, "Well … we may not even find anything." His tail began to twitch as he wondered how long they could wait in case his brother was starving.

"So, what do we do?" Ganter asked.

"I'd like to find us something to eat, but … this storm." Burn looked outside wistfully at the strengthening storm; it was already beginning to rain.

Blister sighed, "I guess we can only wait for the storm to end."

Ganter relaxed, hoping to sleep the storm away. However, a short time later, the trio heard some rustling in the bushes outside the cave. Ganter quickly got up and crept to the bushes, and soon pounced at the source of the disturbance.

He and his brothers were surprised to come face to face with Magma and Lava, whom were now squirming out from under Ganter's weight. Ganter backed up in surprise.

"Magma, Lava, what are you doing here?" Burn asked harshly.

"We followed you." Magma said simply, unfazed by her eldest brother's glare.

"And we did it so well." Lava smiled.

"If you two are here with us, then … no one's with mom and dad." Blister said slowly, not liking the thought.

Meanwhile … Flavus sighed as he and Fera entered their cave, carrying some animals to eat. They had arrived before the storm started picking up, and hoped their children had gotten in safely.

"Children, we're back." Fera called out. She blinked when she saw no one else inside the cave, "Burn, Lava, Magma, twins? Where are you five at?"

Flavus looked solumn, "They … aren't here. Maybe they're still outside."

"Surely Burn would bring them back in?, he knows better than to stay out in a storm like this." Fera replied with a twitch of her tail.

"I know dear, but they aren't here, come on, we have to find them." Flavus turned back to the entrance; it had started raining now.

Fera took a deep breath, "Let's go to Warfang, we might find them there."

Flavus sighed, "This is going to be a long flight; I can only hope our children are safe and sound." And so the parents flew off into the storm, hoping to find the five before something happened to them.

Back with the siblings … Burn growled as he paced in front of Lava and Magma, "… And now, not only have you put yourselves in danger, but also, mom and dad now have no idea what's happened to us."

Magma sighed, "Sorry, we just wanted to come with you, we didn't think it turn out like that."

Ganter sighed, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now but keep them with us.

Blister nodded, "We'll have to be even more careful with our sisters here now though."

Lava had her head on the ground sadly, "Sorry bros, we'll only be in the way."

Burn sighed, "We only wanted you two to be safe with our parents while we do this; I guess we'll make due, and besides, this might as well be an adventure for the five of us."

Ganter looked out at the entrance, "Well, all we can do now is wait out this storm."

Meanwhile, Sarah, Sorow, Careena, and Nuevo were sheltered inside one of Warfang's buildings; waiting out the storm before continuing their search for Ganter.

Sarah sighed, "I hope that Ganter is alright."

Sorow put a wing over his mate, "Don't worry dear, hopefully he's found his family by now."

"And if not?" Sarah asked.

"Then we'll keep searching until we know." Sorow replied calmly.

Careena tried relaxing, "If you ask me, he seemed like an alright dragon, just confused and upset. I hope we see him again, so we can become friends."

"Yeah, he was weird, but I guess it wasn't helped by how he thought we were his relatives, and that how he took that we weren't." Nuevo sighed.

"I wonder what made him think we we're his family; his similar appearance?" Sorow wondered.

"I don't know. Perhaps we can figure this out once we find Ganter or his family." Sarah replied.

"Well, until this storm is done …" Careena sighed.

It was hours later when the storm passed, and back with the five siblings; Burn sighed, "At last, now about hunting … Blister, you stay with our sisters, I'll take Ganter out for some food."

Ganter looked at Blister reluctantly, _Later Blister._

_Later Ganter, and don't worry, you can last a bit without me, its not like anything is going to happen._ Blister thought back.

Ganter nodded and followed Burn, but he found himself seeing another memory from this life. In this memory, he and Blister had gotten lost and separated in a cave network, and had the hardest time getting back together and out before the others could awake. Ganter blinked, and so the memory went, of which he then continued following Burn. The two proceeded to go on the hunt, eventually coming back with some rabbits.

Once they returned, Ganter dug right into eating, and his siblings followed. Afterwards, Ganter sighed, "Better than nothing, I'll say."

"We'll go hunting again in the morning." Burn yawned, settling down for sleep. Lava and Magma settled down next to him.

"Yeah, we need more food." Blister relaxed, sitting next to Ganter.

Ganter yawned, "Well, good night guys, see you in the morning." And so they went to sleep.

Back with the ice family, Sarah sighed with relief now that the storm had passed, "Come on everyone, one last check for the night."

Sorow nodded, "Come on Careena, Nuevo, let's go find that Ganter."

The two young ice dragons sighed, reluctantly getting up, as they had started to fall asleep, and followed their parents outside. The group of four then proceeded to look around Warfang for Ganter, and eventually heard his name get called out, alongside a few others. Exchanging a glance with the others, Sorow went after the source of the voice, of which led to a pair of adult fire dragons. Both dragons looked wet.

Sorow blinked, "Were you out in this storm?"

The male fire dragon blinked back, "Yeah, our children have gone missing. I'm Flavus, and this is Fera."

The others stopped behind Sorow, whom said, "I'm sorry to hear that, I'm Sorow, and this is my mate Sarah, and children, Careena and Nuevo."

"Nice to meet you four." Fera nodded.

"So, you say your children have gone missing, what are their names? We could help you out." Sarah asked.

"Well … alright. There's our eldest son Burn, daughters Magma and lava, Blister, and his ice element twin Ganter." Flavus replied, not sure if these four could be trusted, but decided they could use the help.

Sorow blinked, "You're Ganter's parents?"

It was Flavus's turn to blink, "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Sarah and Sorow exchanged glances, "We're looking for him too."


End file.
